State laws require all vehicles to display some type of identification tag or license plate while in operation. This includes vehicles that are being operated for demonstration and evaluation purposes, such as, for example, vehicles that are being test driven by prospective buyers. Moreover, some state laws require different identification tags to be displayed on a vehicle depending on whether the vehicle is being operated by a prospective buyer during a test drive for demonstration and evaluation purposes, the dealer personnel during transit, or the buyer during use prior to receipt of permanent license plates.
Most vehicle dealers typically affix license plate holders to vehicles in their inventory that serve to hold such identification tags and later the buyer's license plate. Such license plate holders also serve to provide advertising for the dealer by displaying the dealer's name and/or logo. While some conventional license plate holders allow for the display of identification tags, most typically require that tools such as screwdrivers be used each time a different identification tag or license plate must be affixed to the vehicle.
Moreover, such conventional license plate holders fail to provide any protection for temporary paper identification tags from the elements, road debris, or during car washes. Typically identification tags are inserted in a plastic cover to provide a small level of protection, however, such covers are flimsy and fail to provide durable protection and often require replacement after a vehicle is sold.